Improvement in apparatus for extinguishing fires in inflammable liquids



H. BAKENR.

improvement in Apparatus for Extinguishing Fire s.

Patented March 26, i812.

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ll l 1 Illa/male?" NITED STATE$ HOMER BAKER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND ABNEB I HrANGELL, OF NEW YORK GIT IMPROVEMENI INAPPARATUS FOR EXTINGUISHING FIRES IN INFLAMMABLE LIQUIDS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 124,875, dated March26, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOMER BAKER, of the city of Chicago, State ofIllinois, have invent-- ed a new and useful Improvementin Apparatus forExtinguishing Fire in Inflammable Fluids, of which the following isaspecification, having reference to the accompanying drawing formingpart thereof:

Figure 1 is a top view of a tank for holding inflammable fluid, such aspetroleum oil, naphtha, &c., combined with perforated gas-pipes forconducting and distributing carbonic-acid gas over and upon the fluid inthe tank. Fig. 2 is a central sectional view of the upper portion of asimilar tank, combined with another form of my gas-distributer. Fig. 3is a similar sectional view of a tank, combined with one or both of thesaid gas-distributers, and a cover to retain the gas upon the fluid. Thesame letters refer to similar parts.

My invention relates to the employment of carbonic-acid gas for theextinguishing of fire and consists in the distribution or spreading asheet or mass of the gas over and upon the fluid, when on fire within acontaining-vessel or tank, by means of a pipe or other form of aconductor of the gas, so arranged and perforated with a number of smallapertures that the gas will flow out therefrom and spread itself overthe burning fluid, thereby covering or enveloping the surface anddisplacingthe atmospheric air.

A is a tank for holding inflammable fluid, which may be made of anydesired shape and materials, preferably of iron, and round, in the formof a tub. B is a pipe arranged around the inner surface of the tank,near the top, and designed to be connected with eithera portablefire-extinguisher,whichmaybe that known as Babcocks tire-extinguisher,for which Letters Patent of the United States have been issued, or withany other apparatus designed to supply carbonic-acid gas, either aloneor in water. This tube B is perforated on the inner side with a largenumber of small apertures, from which jets of gas may be dischargedradially inward toward the center of the tank. In addition to thiscircular tube there may be one or more tubes connected with the circulartube, and extended across the tank, as seen at B, which are to beperforated also along their sides. Instead of placing these pipes at thetop of the tank they may be placed in any position desired; or, ifpreferred, may be laid upon its bottom. I purpose, also, when deemedpreferable, toinsert into the tubes or conductors short tubes 0, similarto gas-burners, thus permitting me, by a peculiar conformation of theaperture in the outer ends, to discharge the gas in a thin horizontalsheet from each tube, similar to that which is known as the fan-tailgas-burner, effectin g thereby a more perfect and immediate spreading ofthe gas out over the surface of the fluid in the tank.

I do not intend to limit myself to any special arrangement orconstruction'of the tube, or tubes or conductors, whereby the gas isconveyed to and spread over and upon the surface of inflammable fluidscontained within tanks; the design being to displace the atmospheric airby carbonic-acid gas so completely that when on fire the flames will beimmediate- I 1y extinguished, and eflecting this discharge of the gaswithout causing such a disturbance or agitation of the fluid as toprevent the gas from producing its proper effect in extinguishing theflames. I11 place of the tubes the gas may be distributed over and uponthe fluid in the tank by means of the distributor D, which consists oftwo plates of metal of the form and size, or a little larger than, thetop of the tank, placed one over the other, some one or two inchesapart, and united at the edges gas-tight, the under plate beingperforated with a number of suitable apertures to admit of the dischargeof gas from the interior of the distributer down upon the tank. Thisdistributer is supported upon brackets or rods a, three, four, or morein number, or in some other suitable manner, a short distance, say threeto six inches above the top of the tank, not sufficiently near to retainthe evaporation from the fluid, so as to cause an explosion upon takingfire. A conducting-pipe, b, leads from this distributer to thegas-holder or oth er source of the carbonic-acid gas. This distributer Dmay either be made a fixture over the tank, or it may be suspended bychains, or hung upon hinges, so as to be elevated and lowered, or raisedup or shut down at pleasure, E is a plain metal cover suspended or fixedover the tank for the purpose of retaining over upon the fluid in thetank, in some measure, the taining inflammable fluids, of aperforatedgascarbonic-acid gas that may be discharged from conductor, soconstructed and arranged as to the pipes A. discharge gas quickly overthe entire surface What I claim as my invention, and desire to of fluidcontained in the tank, substantially as secure by Letters Patent, isandfor the purpose described.

1. The combination, with the tank A and HOMER BAKER. the tubes B, of thecover E, substantially as Witnesses: and for the purpose specified. WM.G. REDDY,

2. The combination, with a tank, A, for con- A. LIVINGSTON MILLS.

